Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Vannevar Bush was named as one of the original members of the Majestic-12 group, or MJ-12. I have compiled many of the FBI files for those rumored to be a part of this "secret organization" which has never been officially confirmed. Though a lot of evidence points to it being real, we lack the definitive proof.Recently, I obtained the entire FBI file on Vannevar Bush.

You can download his file, along with many others, at;http://www.theblackvault.com/m/articles/view/FBI-Files-The-Paranormal-Collection#mj12

You will note: According to the FBI: "One record (161-BS-1452) which may be responsive to your FOIA request was destroyed in April of 1998." This is the same case for a few of the other files I have received, on those rumored to be connected with MJ-12. Their files, or portions thereof, have been "destroyed."" copied.

Apple is poised to introduce a whole host of new emoji when it releases iOS 9.1 later this year, but one symbol in particular is generating a lot of interest.

The icon looks like an eye inside a speech bubble and it was spotted by Jeremy Burge, founder of Emojipedia.

What's more intriguing is that the symbol has been specifically designed by the tech firm and is not an official addition from the Unicode Consortium, the organisation that manages emoji.

The icon looks like an eye inside a speech bubble and it was spotted by Jeremy Burge, founder of Emojipedia. He posted an image of the emoji on his personal Tumblr blog and Twitter (pictured) and asked readers to suggest what they think it could relate to

Mr Burge posted an image of the emoji on his personal Tumblr blog and asked readers to suggest what they think it could relate to.

He said: 'To a casual observer, this appears to be just another emoji - one of many planned for the iOS 9.1 emoji update.

The most popular suggestion was that it would be used to represent Apple's iMessage feature. Others compared it to the symbol of the Illuminati (pictured)

'But the strange thing about this character (which Apple calls "eye in speech bubble") is that it’s not a standard Unicode addition.

'It can’t be found in Unicode 1.1, or any other version right through to the Unicode 9.0 candidates.'

The Tumblr blog was posted to Reddit, as well as being shared widely on Twitter, and the most popular suggestion was that it would be used to represent Apple's own iMessage feature.

However, it is unlikely Apple would add the symbol to the emoji keyboard and not introduce it more widely if it did refer to such a significant iOS feature such as iMessage.

Other suggestions were more unusual, with some Reddit users even comparing the icon to the symbol of the Illuminati.

This was an 18th-century secret society, set up by Adam Weishaupt in Bavaria, which consisted of influential and wealthy intellectuals.

It opposed the Roman Catholic Church's control over and sought to 'enlighten' people's minds.

However, the most plausible explanation was tweeted by Twitter user Erik Veland.

However, the most plausible explanation was tweeted by Twitter user Erik Veland who said it related to an anti-bullying campaign (pictured)

Copy link to paste in your message

Using the built-in accessibility tool called VoiceOver (pictured) in OS X, Mr Veland discovered that Apple's own speech-to-text tool describes the emoji as 'eye in speech bubble representing anti-bullying campaign'. This appears to solve part of the mystery, but it is not known what anti-bullying campaign in particular this refers to

Copy link to paste in your message

Developers with early access to the files of Apple's iOS 9.1 have spotted more than a dozen new additions to the emoji keyboard including a wedge of cheese, a taco, a burrito, chili pepper, new faces, a spider, crab, scorpion, and squirrel as well as a robot, unicorn, lion and turkey

NEW EMOJI COMING TO IOS 9.1

Two new religious symbols are shown

Developers with early access to the files of iOS 9.1 have spotted more than a dozen new additions including a wedge of cheese, a taco, a champagne bottle, a

weightlifter and a mosque.

Other new emoji spotted on the iOS 9.1 keyboard including a spider, chili pepper, a squirrel, crab, turkey, scorpion, a unicorn and a hand with the middle finger extended.

On the activity tab, a golfer taking a swing, a cricket bat and ball, a volleyball, bow and arrow, and a hockey stick have been added.

While the objects tab now has a candle, a 50s-style microphone and a bin.

New faces include a 'nerd face', a face of a robot and a lion face.

In addition to the mosque, other religious symbols include prayer beads and a synagogue.

Using the built-in accessibility tool called VoiceOver in OS X, Mr Veland discovered that Apple's own speech-to-text tool describes the emoji as 'eye in speech bubble representing anti-bullying campaign.'

This appears to solve part of the mystery, but it is not known what anti-bullying campaign in particular this refers to.

It is also not clear if Apple is partnering with a specific campaign or starting its own.

The eye emoji is just one of the new range of symbols expected to launch on iOS 9.1.

Earlier this month, developers with early access to the next-generation software files spotted more than a dozen new additions including a wedge of cheese, a unicorn, taco, a champagne bottle, a weightlifter and a mosque.

Apple's iOS 9 was rolled out to all devices on 16 September and iOS 9.1 could be released as soon as the end of the year.

The new emoji were released in June as part of Unicode Standard Version 8.0.0.

A total of 37 symbols were released for use on a variety of platforms in addition to five emoji modifiers that changed the skin tone of the human emoji.

The method of adding new emoji isn’t entirely simple.

They must first be approved by an organisation called the Unicode Consortium in California responsible for developing Unicode.

The consortium selects candidates from popular or topical requests and candidates are also picked if there are existing gaps in current emoji - for example, Unicode 7.0 had a tiger, but not a lion.

The objects tab now has a candle, a 50s-style microphone and a bin (pictured), while on the activity tab, a golfer taking a swing, a cricket bat and ball, a volleyball, bow and arrow, and a hockey stick have been added

The new emoji were released in June as part of Unicode Standard Version 8.0.0. A total of 37 were released for use on a variety of platforms. All emoji must be approved by an organisation called the Unicode Consortium in California before being released, they are then adopted by firms such as Apple (bow and arrow pictured)

Once the emoji are made available by the consortium, companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft must then integrate them into their own systems.

Other new emoji spotted on the iOS 9.1 keyboard including a spider, chili pepper, a squirrel, turkey, scorpion and a hand with the middle finger extended.

On the activity tab, a golfer taking a swing, a cricket bat and ball, a volleyball, bow and arrow, and a hockey stick have been added.

While the objects tab now has a candle, a 50s-style microphone and a bin.

Several new faces, hands and zodiac symbols can also now be used, including an upside-down face, a ‘thinking’ face and a crab.

In addition to the mosque, other religious symbols include prayer beads and a synagogue.

The consortium select candidates from popular or topical requests. Candidates are also selected if there are existing gaps in current emoji - for example, Unicode 7.0 had a tiger but not a lion (left). On the right was the image that formed the basis of the new robot face seen on the iOS 9.1 keyboard

Sunday, September 27, 2015

For 2.3
Million Species Created Tree Species Life Researchers From bacteria to buffalo
and mushrooms to minke whales, researchers have for the first time been able to
piece together the evolutionary tree of all 2.3 million named species of
animals, plants, fungi and microbes. This incredible tree of life shows the
relationships among all known living species, tracing the origin of life
through 3.5 billion years of evolution.

Created
through the collaboration of eleven institutions, this first draft is a
composite of roughly 500 smaller trees that have been published over the years
and now combined into a single tree that is available free online for anyone to
use or edit. “This is the first real attempt to connect the dots and put it all
together,” said Karen Cranston from Duke University in a statement. Cranston
was one of the principle investigators of the project, which has been published
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Think of it as Version
1.0.”

The tree
of life is effectively a diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships
between all living organisms. The branching indicates how different species all
descend from a common ancestor. Not just useful for working out how different
species are related, they can also be used to assess the origin and spread of
infectious diseases, or discover new antibiotics, among other things.

While
this initial draft uses data from 500 separate smaller trees, far more data has
already been published, accounting for tens of thousands of evolutionary – or
phylogenetic – trees. The problem is that only a fraction of those, the
researchers estimate about one in six, have deposited their data in a digital,
downloadable format that can then be used and added to the single super tree.
Most are published as PDFs and other image files that are simply impossible to
enter into the new diagram. The researchers see this as the first step in
developing the most comprehensive archive of all life on Earth.

Another major
problem that they had to overcome was simply accounting for the changes in
names, alternate names, misspellings and abbreviations of species used by
different researchers and institutions. Spiny anteaters, for example, once
shared their scientific name with a group of moray eels. For this reason the
whole project is open access, meaning that anyone can go in and edit the data
if and when changes are needed. The researchers refer to it as the “Wikipedia”
for evolutionary trees.

The
resulting diagram has allowed the researchers to see not just what we know
about life on Earth, but what we don’t know too. To fill in these gaps,
particularly in the branches that contain the insects and bacteria, they hope
to develop software that will allow researchers to enter the tree and add in
the data when new species are discovered or named. “It's by no means finished,”
concludes Cranston. “It's critically important to share data for
already-published and newly-published work if we want to improve the tree.”
This circular family tree of Earth’s lifeforms is considered a first draft of
the 3.5-billion-year history of how life evolved and diverged. Duke University.”

Thursday, September 24, 2015

THE FULL TEXT: POPE FRANCIS' SPEECH TO CONGRESS

'I
am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of
Congress in "the land of the free and the home of the brave." I would
like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this
great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward
which we share a common responsibility.

'Each
son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social
responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to
enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation.
You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to
defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless
and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of
all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation,
to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members,
especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk.
Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you
have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.

'Yours
is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On
the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel
symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by
means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us
directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being.
Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: you are asked to
protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on
every human face.

'Today
I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people
of the United States. Here, together with their representatives, I
would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands
of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work, to
bring home their daily bread, to save money and –one step at a time – to
build a better life for their families. These are men and women who are
not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet
way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their
actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to
those most in need.

'I
would also like to enter into dialogue with the many elderly persons
who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience, and who seek in
many ways, especially through volunteer work, to share their stories and
their insights. I know that many of them are retired, but still active;
they keep working to build up this land. I also want to dialogue with
all those young people who are working to realize their great and noble
aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, and who face
difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of
many adults. I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do
so through the historical memory of your people.

'My
visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking
the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of
history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and
women, for all their many differences and limitations, were able by
hard work and self-sacrifice – some at the cost of their lives – to
build a better future. They shaped fundamental values which will endure
forever in the spirit of the American people. A people with this spirit
can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always
finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These
men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In
honoring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the
here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.

'I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

'This
year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the
assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who
labored tirelessly that "this nation, under God, [might] have a new
birth of freedom." Building a future of freedom requires love of the
common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.

'All
of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social
and political situation of the world today. Our world is increasingly a
place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even
in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune
from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means
that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism,
whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required
to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or
an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom,
intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another
temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic
reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the
righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds
which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we
confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two
camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we
can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and
violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.
That is something which you, as a people, reject.

'Our
response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice.
We are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve
today’s many geopolitical and economic crises. Even in the developed
world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too
apparent. Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs,
maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of
individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a
renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for
the common good.

'The
challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of
cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history
of the United States. The complexity, the gravity and the urgency of
these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and
resolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our
convictions of conscience.

'In
this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed
to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as
in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice
of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person
and in each society. Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the
battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave
injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms
of social consensus.

'Here
I think of the political history of the United States, where democracy
is deeply rooted in the mind of the American people. All political
activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be
based on respect for his or her dignity. "We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" (Declaration of
Independence, 4 July 1776). If politics must truly be at the service of
the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy
and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need
to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that
of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share,
in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life. I do
not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you
in this effort.

THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL

'Here
too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to
Montgomery fifty years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his
"dream" of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That
dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to
be, for many, a land of "dreams." Dreams which lead to action, to
participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and
truest in the life of a people.

'In
recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their
dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent,
are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners.
I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you
are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who
were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples
and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to
reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were
often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by
the criteria of the present. Nonetheless, when the stranger in our midst
appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past.
We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we
educate new generations not to turn their back on our "neighbors" and
everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we
must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in
order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to
do our best. I am confident that we can do this.

'Our
world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the
Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard
decisions. On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to
travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their
loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want
for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but
rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their
stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond
in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a
common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let
us remember the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you" (Mt 7:12).

'This
Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same
passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for
others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help
others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if
we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give
life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The
yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use
for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect
and defend human life at every stage of its development.

'This
conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate
at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am
convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every
human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can
only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.
Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call
for the abolition of the death penalty. Not only do I support them, but
I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just
and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and
the goal of rehabilitation.

'In
these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to
mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker
Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause
of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the
example of the saints.

'How
much progress has been made in this area in so many parts of the world!
How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to
raise people out of extreme poverty! I know that you share my conviction
that much more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and
economic hardship a spirit of global solidarity must not be lost. At the
same time I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around
us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given
hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and
on many fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans
today, as in the past, are working to deal with this problem.

'It
goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and
distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper
application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise
are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern,
inclusive and sustainable. "Business is a noble vocation, directed to
producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of
prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the
creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common
good" (Laudato Si’, 129). This common good also includes the earth, a
central theme of the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to
"enter into dialogue with all people about our common home" (ibid., 3).
"We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental
challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us
all" (ibid., 14).

+43

'In
Laudato Si’, I call for a courageous and responsible effort to
"redirect our steps" (ibid., 61), and to avert the most serious effects
of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am
convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the
United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play. Now
is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing
a "culture of care" (ibid., 231) and "an integrated approach to
combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same
time protecting nature" (ibid., 139). "We have the freedom needed to
limit and direct technology" (ibid., 112); "to devise intelligent ways
of… developing and limiting our power" (ibid., 78); and to put
technology "at the service of another type of progress, one which is
healthier, more human, more social, more integral" (ibid., 112). In this
regard, I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research
institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.

'A
century ago, at the beginning of the Great War, which Pope Benedict XV
termed a "pointless slaughter," another notable American was born: the
Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a source of spiritual
inspiration and a guide for many people. In his autobiography he wrote:
"I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God, I was
nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in
the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture
of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God, and yet hating him; born
to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory
hungers." Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged
the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for
the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between
peoples and religions.

'From
this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts
made in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to
painful episodes of the past. It is my duty to build bridges and to help
all men and women, in any way possible, to do the same. When countries
which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue – a dialogue which
may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons – new
opportunities open up for all. This has required, and requires, courage
and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political
leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment
in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always
opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces (cf. Evangelii
Gaudium, 222-223).

'Being
at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined
to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts
throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly
weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on
individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply
for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the
face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront
the problem and to stop the arms trade.

'Three
sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams:
Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and
non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons;
and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.

'Four representatives of the American people.

'I
will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take
part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my
visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family
has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of
our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the
family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and
without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is
the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the
importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.

'In
particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who
are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled
with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem
disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse
and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We
need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective
solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of
oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures
young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for
the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options
that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.

'A
nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did,
when it fosters a culture which enables people to "dream" of full rights
for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do;
when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy
Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes
dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.

'In
these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your
cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire
that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young
people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so
many people to dream.

Monday, September 21, 2015

We are every second, minute and hour of our past - we are as
the hands of time - rotating 360 degrees until once again striking the midnight
hour. Each time we go around we endeavour to leave a meaningful moment on our
timeline.